N.J. 44-pound cat's owner comes forward; he was abandoned

BLACKWOOD, N.J. (AP) _ A 44-pound cat found lumbering around New Jersey was abandoned by a woman who said her home was foreclosed, an animal shelter official said Thursday.

The porky white cat found Saturday became a local media sensation and was dubbed "Princess Chunk". But the animal is really a male whose name is Powder.

Jennifer Anderch, director of the Camden County Animal Shelter, said Thursday that the cat's owner came forward to describe the animal's background.

Anderch said she's received hundreds of calls from people seeking to adopt Powder.

The cat appeared Thursday on "Live With Regis and Kelly." A veterinarian on the show examined it and determine he was indeed a male.

The largest cat on record weighed 46 pounds, 15 ounces. That cat, who lived in Australia, died in the 1980s. The Guinness World Records has since dropped the category, fearing cat owners might harm their animals in an attempt to break the record.